“A new R2-D2 minifigure comes out almost every year, so which version is the latest? How many are there?” “Which sets have the flat-silver-head R2-D2 from 2014 onward?” “How do you tell the pre- and post-2008 redesigns apart?”
If you collect these, you’ve probably run into questions like these. Here’s everything sorted out in one place.
Hello there! Figrou, I am — your guide, hmm. Figbase, a reference site it is, where which sets the LEGO minifigures come in, and how to tell the variants apart, across the board mapped out they are. Wherever your curiosity leads, begin there you should.
This article pulls together the R2-D2 minifigure variants by mold generation, the roughly 32 major sets they appear in, and a guide from the debut to the latest version, all in one place.
Here’s the short version: viewed by mold generation, the R2-D2 minifigure comes to about 8 variants in total, four generations plus special variants. You can tell the generation by the head dome color (white to light gray to flat silver).
Who Is R2-D2?
R2-D2 is an astromech droid in Star Wars who, together with his partner C-3PO, appears in every film from Episodes I-IX, making him one of the series’ premier main characters. In LEGO form he debuted in the 1999 Episode IV sets and has been included in new sets almost every year since.
He’s one of the most frequently appearing minifigures in all of LEGO Star Wars. He’s built from dedicated head-dome, body, and leg parts, and a distinctive feature is that he uses a different mold from a standard humanoid minifigure.
R2-D2 Has Multiple Minifigures: Variant List
By Brickipedia’s count, the R2-D2 minifigure comes to about 8 variants across mold generations plus special versions, and on a BrickLink sw-number basis it’s broken down even further. Here, prioritizing practical identification for readers, the table organizes the mold generations and the representative special variants.
| Variant Name (Common) | Variant ID | Debut Year | How to Identify | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original (classic, white legs) | sw0028 | 1999 | White head dome, white legs, silver-and-blue body print. In about 18 sets from 1999-2008 | Low |
| Serving tray version (2006) | unknown | 2006 | A 2×4 plate sandwiched between the head and body to recreate the Episode VI serving tray | High |
| 2008 redesign (light gray head) | sw0217 | 2008 | Head dome changed to light bluish gray, thicker blue lines, added eye print. The lower-body hole changed to an axle hole | Medium |
| Clone Wars version | unknown | 2009 | Based on sw0217 with a simplified body print, a TV-animation design. Exclusive to #8037 and short-lived | High |
| Serving tray version (2013) | unknown | 2013 | Updated to the post-2008 print style, with a dark tan 2×4 plate plus a cup and bottle | High |
| 2014 redesign (flat-silver head, red dots) | sw0527 | 2014 | Head dome changed to flat silver (metallic), dark blue body print, red dots, small receptor | Medium |
| sw0527a (purple-dot variant) | sw0527a | unknown | A variant of sw0527 with lavender (purple) dots. Treated as a separate ID on BrickLink | Medium-high |
| Snowman version | sw0424 | 2012 | A top hat on the head, a carrot (panel) and coal (eyes) print on the body | High |
| Reindeer version | unknown | 2014-2015 | Brown antler print on the head. Advent calendar exclusive | High |
| 2016 minor update | unknown | 2016 | Small head-dot color changed from orange to pink versus the 2014 version (extremely minor) | Medium |
| Muddy version (Dagobah) | unknown | 2018 | Mud print on the front of the head and body. Exclusive to #75208 | High |
| Latest version (2022 onward) | unknown | 2022 | Updated print details. Found in #75355 UCS X-wing Starfighter and others | Medium |
You can roughly tell the generation just by the head dome color. It helps to remember: white from 1999-2008, light bluish gray from 2008-2014, and flat silver (metallic) from 2014 onward.
Note that R2-D2 also exists as large buildable sets that aren’t minifigure scale (#8009 / #10225 / #75308 / #75379). These are display pieces, so we’ll cover them separately later, apart from the minifigure list in this article.
LEGO Star Wars Sets That Include R2-D2
The major sets that include R2-D2 are organized chronologically. Mini versions inside advent calendars, keychains, and magnets are excluded. For release year and variant included, we prioritized items confirmed by two or more sources after cross-checking multiple sources (Brickset / BrickLink / BrickEconomy / LEGO Official / Brickipedia), and items with weak confirmation are left as “unknown.”
| Set No. | Set Name | Release Year | Variant Included | Appears In | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7140 | X-wing Fighter | 1999 | sw0028 | EP4 | One of the debut-set candidates |
| #7141 | Naboo Fighter | 1999 | sw0028 | EP1 | Bundled with Young Anakin |
| #7171 | Mos Espa Podrace | 1999 | sw0028 | EP1 | Bundled with Young Anakin |
| #7190 | Millennium Falcon | 2000 | sw0028 | EP4 | The original Millennium Falcon |
| #7191 | X-wing Fighter (UCS) | 2000 | sw0028 | EP4 | The original UCS |
| #7106 | Droid Escape | 2001 | sw0028 | EP4 | — |
| #4475 | Jabba’s Message | 2003 | sw0028 | EP6 | — |
| #4502 | X-wing Fighter (blue box) | unknown | sw0028 | EP4 | — |
| #6212 | X-wing Fighter | unknown | sw0028 | EP4 | — |
| #6210 | Jabba’s Sail Barge | 2006 | Serving tray version (2006) | EP6 | Serving tray version exclusive |
| #7660 | Naboo N-1 Starfighter & Vulture Droid | 2007 | sw0028 | EP1 | — |
| #7669 | Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter | 2008 | sw0028 | EP3 | — |
| #7680 | The Twilight | 2008 | sw0028 | Clone Wars | The last set with sw0028 |
| #10188 | Death Star (UCS) | 2008 | sw0217 | EP4/EP6 | Debut of sw0217 |
| #8037 | Anakin’s Y-wing Starfighter | 2009 | Clone Wars version | Clone Wars | Clone Wars version exclusive |
| #9509 | Advent Calendar | 2012 | Snowman version | — | Christmas exclusive |
| #10236 | Ewok Village | 2013 | sw0217 | EP6 | — |
| #75020 | Jabba’s Sail Barge | 2013 | Serving tray version (2013) | EP6 | Serving tray version (2013) exclusive |
| #75038 | Jedi Interceptor | 2014 | sw0527 | EP3 | Debut of sw0527 |
| #75059 | UCS Sandcrawler | 2014 | sw0527 | EP4 | — |
| #75092 | Naboo Starfighter | 2015 | sw0527 | EP1 | — |
| #75096 | Sith Infiltrator | 2015 | sw0527 | EP1 | — |
| #75097 | Advent Calendar | 2015 | Reindeer version | — | Christmas exclusive |
| #75192 | Millennium Falcon (UCS) | 2017 | sw0527 line | EP4-EP9 | One of the largest UCS sets |
| #75208 | Yoda’s Hut | 2018 | Muddy version | EP5 | Mud print |
| #75257 | Millennium Falcon | 2019 | sw0527 line | EP9 | Bundled with Finn, Chewbacca, Lando, Boolio, C-3PO, and D-O |
| #75281 | Anakin’s Jedi Interceptor | 2020 | unknown | EP3 | 248 pieces |
| #75290 | Mos Eisley Cantina | 2020 | unknown | EP4 | 3,187 pieces, 21 minifigures plus R2-D2 |
| #75308 | R2-D2 (buildable) | 2021 | Large buildable plus a minifigure-scale R2-D2 | All series | Comes with a Lucasfilm 50th anniversary brick, 2,314 pieces |
| #75341 | Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder (UCS) | 2022 | unknown | EP4 | UCS |
| #75355 | X-wing Starfighter (UCS) | 2023 | unknown | EP4 | UCS |
| #75365 | Yavin 4 Rebel Base | 2023 | unknown | EP4 | 1,067 pieces, 12 minifigures plus R2-D2 and R2-BHD |
| #75379 | R2-D2 (buildable, 25th anniversary) | 2024 | Large buildable | All series | Star Wars 25th anniversary. 1,050 pieces. Bundles the 25th anniversary Darth Malak minifigure |
About 32 major sets, listed here they are, and higher still the full count is, hmm. Mini versions inside advent calendars, keychains, and magnets, excluded these are. The “unknown” rows, spots Figrou has not yet verified they are, so a rough guide treat them as, you must. A set number that catches your eye, if there is, search it directly on Brickset or BrickLink, you should, and the exact minifigures included you will find.
We list about 32 sets in total (based on Brickset / BrickEconomy / BrickLink / LEGO Official tallies). Since mini versions inside advent calendars, keychains, and magnets are excluded, the full set count is higher still.
First, Latest, Rarest, Cheapest: Buying an R2-D2 Minifigure
The Debut Set
The 1999 R2-D2 sets (#7140 X-wing Fighter / #7141 Naboo Fighter / #7171 Mos Espa Podrace, several released the same year). The variant ID is sw0028 (original, white legs).
The Latest Set
For the large buildable version, it’s #75379 R2-D2 (25th anniversary, 1,050 pieces, launch MSRP US$99.99, bundling the 25th anniversary Darth Malak minifigure), released March 1, 2024. At minifigure scale, the most recent sets include the 2023 #75365 Yavin 4 Rebel Base and #75355 UCS X-wing Starfighter.
The Rarest Sets
The one-off set exclusives for the special variants are the most rare, such as the Clone Wars version (exclusive to #8037 Anakin’s Y-wing Starfighter, 2009 only), the muddy version (exclusive to #75208 Yoda’s Hut), and the snowman version (exclusive to #9509 Advent Calendar).
The Cheapest Sets
Market prices move with the times, so it’s hard to say flat out, but right now the mid-size sets from 2014 onward that include sw0527 are among the easier ones to find. For specific market values, check the official and secondary markets.
Related Minifigures to Collect Alongside R2-D2
Across a long span from EP1 to EP9, appear R2-D2 does, so truly varied his co-star minifigures are. The main characters worth gathering for a collection, here they are, so a look give it, you should.
The main characters are as follows.
- C-3PO — His most important partner. They co-star in nearly every set from Episodes I-IX.
- Luke Skywalker — The protagonist of Episodes IV-VI. One of R2-D2’s masters.
- Leia Organa — A major figure in Episodes IV-IX. Famous for entrusting an important message to R2-D2.
- Han Solo — Episodes IV-VII. He co-stars in Millennium Falcon sets.
- Chewbacca — Episodes IV-IX. Han Solo’s partner.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi — His younger years in Episodes I-III, his elder years in Episodes IV-VI.
- Anakin Skywalker — Episodes I-III. R2-D2’s original master. The same person as Darth Vader, who later falls to the Sith.
- Yoda — Dagobah in Episode V, the Jedi Council in Episodes I-III. He co-stars with the muddy R2-D2 in #75208 Yoda’s Hut.
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FAQ: R2-D2 Minifigures
Q. How many R2-D2 minifigures are there?
A. By mold generation, there are broadly four: “original (1999, white legs),” “2008 redesign (light gray head),” “2014 redesign (flat-silver head),” and “latest (2022 onward).” Add in the special variants such as the snowman, reindeer, serving tray, muddy, and Clone Wars versions, and it comes to around 8 variants (per official and fan-site tallies). On BrickLink’s more granular sw-number basis, there are many more derivatives.
Q. How do you tell the 2008 and 2014 redesigns apart?
A. You can tell by the head dome color. From 1999-2008 it’s a white dome, from 2008 onward a light bluish gray dome, and from 2014 onward a flat silver (metallic) dome. The body print is also updated in detail with each generation.
Q. How many large buildable R2-D2 sets are there?
A. As display buildables rather than minifigures, there are four main ones: #8009 (2002), #10225 (2012, 2,127 pieces), #75308 (2021, 2,314 pieces, Lucasfilm 50th anniversary), and #75379 (2024, 1,050 pieces, Star Wars 25th anniversary).
Q. Which sets have the snowman and reindeer R2-D2?
A. The snowman version is exclusive to #9509 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar (2012), and the reindeer version is exclusive to #75097 Advent Calendar (2015). Both are playful Christmas exclusives, and these days the only way to get them is on the secondary market.
Q. Which set has the newest R2-D2 minifigure?
A. The large buildable version is #75379 R2-D2 (25th anniversary), released March 2024. At minifigure scale, the most recent sets include the 2023-2024 #75365 Yavin 4 Rebel Base and #75355 UCS X-wing Starfighter.
Sources and References
- Brickset: R2-D2 minifig list
- Brickset SW0028: Astromech Droid, R2-D2 (original)
- Brickset SW0217: R2-D2 (2008 redesign)
- Brickset SW0527: R2-D2 (2014 redesign)
- BrickLink SW0028
- BrickLink SW0527
- BrickLink SW0424 (snowman version)
- Brickipedia (Fandom): R2-D2
- LEGO Star Wars Wiki (Fandom): R2-D2
- LEGO Official: #75379 R2-D2
- LEGO Official: #75308 R2-D2
- LEGO Official: R2-D2 character page
- Brick Pals: A history of LEGO Star Wars astromech droids
- Brick Fanatics: Comparing the differences between R2-D2 sets